The present invention relates to a device for firearms, and the firearm itself, for detecting a state or condition and transferring an optical signal which is correlated to the state in a space to be monitored.
On firearms, particularly on semiautomatic and automatic firearms such as cannons, sensors are used at multiple points for the purpose of detecting signals during the use of the firearms, in order to monitor the firearms, particularly during firing. Specifically, the sensors detect signals in this case which are correlated to states in spaces to be monitored. Transmission units are generally connected to the sensors in order to transmit the signals detected. The transmitted signals are used for various purposes; they may merely be used for the purpose of giving the operating personnel information about the state detected, but they may also be used in a control loop or regulating circuit in order to, for example, check a sequence of functions in the framework of firing shots.
States to be detected may be positions of mechanical weapon components, which are present in the spaces to be monitored only temporarily and/or in various components of their mass, for example. Examples of these are slide positions, breech positions, clutch positions, trigger positions, and drum positions, but filling states of cartridge chambers, for example, may also be monitored in this way.
Examples of the utilization of the signals, which describe the states cited or other states, are the direct change of a movement state, i.e., the initialization, change, or termination of a movement of a weapon part, or the construction of a control loop or a regulating circuit. Firearms like cannons may, for example, have a gas drive as an intrinsic drive and also have an electric drive for the ammunition supply, the gas drive and electric drive operating independently of one another and therefore their controls having to be linked to one another by a regulating circuit for flawless functioning of the firearm.
Mechanical, inductive, capacitive, or magnetic devices are typically used on firearms as sensors for the purposes cited above, but these are not suitable for modern automatic weapons having a higher cadence in particular. In such firearms, high shock-like stresses and alternating stresses of high frequency arise, which leads to sensitive parts of typical construction, like the devices just cited, not functioning properly and/or having only a brief service life. In this case, the devices positioned directly on the weapon barrel are subjected to particularly high wear.
Firearms which have sensor devices having fiber-optic systems are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,425,299 and 5,735,070. These have the disadvantage that the sensitive regions of the fiber-optic systems are not shielded, so that they do not operate or do not operate reliably in the event of even slight contamination, as typically occurs in weapons.
It is therefore the object of the present invention,
to provide a device of the type initially cited, which does not have the disadvantages cited above and using which a long service life may be achieved with precise function even for weapons having a higher cadence; and
to suggest an improved firearm of the type initially cited.
This object is achieved according to the present invention by a device for firearms for detecting a state in a space to be monitored and for transmitting a signal correlated to the state by a fiber-optic system. The system has a sensor region and a conductor arrangement formed by a fiber-optic system, and the sensor region is protected by a shielding device.
The object is also achieved by means of a firearm having at least one device for detecting a state in a space to be monitored for transmitting a signal correlated to the state. The device includes a sensor region and conductor arrangement formed by a fiber-optic system, and the sensor region is protected by a shielding device.
Using the present invention, it is possible to make highly sensitive fine mechanisms suitable for an object which is subjected to high and strongly oscillating mechanical stresses, specifically for a firearm, even one having a high cadence.
Therefore, the device according to the present invention and/or the firearm equipped therewith has, instead of typical mechanical, inductive, capacitive, magnetic, or electrical devices, a fiber-optic system, which has been shown to be resistant to shock stresses and vibrations. The resistance to shocks and vibrations is achieved in that, among other things, the fibers joined into bundles for the fiber-optic system are used in a number of, for example, up to 100 or up to 200 fibers, each fiber having a diameter of 12 xcexcm, for example.
The states to be detected in the space to be monitored are typically scannable states. The scannable states to be detected are to be understood as both the position of a material element and a pressure in a pressure vessel, a material element able to be scanned directly and a pressure in a pressure vessel able to be scanned through a displaceable piston.
Fiber-optic systems only operate correctly if they are not impaired. In this case, impairments to be feared are less mechanical damage than contaminations. However, there is frequently a significant danger of contamination in firearms; the fiber-optic systems may be affected by material of many types, such as dust, soot, liquids such as lubricants, for example, graphite grease, and vapors, very generally contaminations in solid and liquid form. In order to avoid malfunction as a consequence of such impairments, the fiber-optic systems are shielded in that at least their sensor region is protected by a shielding device, which may be either a wall positioned in a suitable way or a chamber.
In order to avoid misunderstandings, it is to be expressly noted that such a chamber is not the space to be monitored, in which a state may be determined by the novel device, and is also not the pressure vessel cited above, but rather is a region shielded from contamination, in which at least the sensor region of the fiber-optic system is positioned.
An indicator, which senses the state to be detected directly or indirectly and adjusts its position as a function of the state, indicates the state to be detected in the space to be monitored. The position of the indicator is registered by the sensor region of the fiber-optic system.
In principle, two optical methods are considered for detecting the position of the indicator. In the first method, the particular position of the indicator is detected directly, in that the sensor region of the fiber-optic system forms a light barrier into which the indicator projects in certain positions; the fiber-optic system generates a signal when the indicator assumes a special position; the indicator may either be implemented compactly in this case and interrupt the otherwise detectable light beam in the special position, or the indicator may have an opening through which the otherwise interrupted light beam passes. A mirror effect is used in the second method for detecting the position of the indicator.
There are various variants for the implementation, arrangement, and mode of operation of the indicator, of which the preferable ones are described in the following.
The position of the indicator is determined by a feeler, which in turn senses the state in the space to be monitored, generally in that it scans it mechanically. The indicator and the feeler may form different components which move at least partially in solidarity, or they may be in one piece. The feeler thus scans the state to be detected in the space to be monitored, through which its position and therefore the position of the indicator are determined. The sensor region of the fiber-optic system registers, as already described, the position of the indicator.
The chamber in which at least the sensor region of the fiber-optic system is positioned is not a completely closed capsule, but rather it has an inlet and/or opening, through which the indicator projects into the chamber.
For a reliable mode of operation of the device it is imperative that this inlet and/or opening is implemented in a suitable way. Firstly, the inside of the chamber is to be prevented from becoming so unclean that the sensor region of the fiber-optic system no longer operates flawlessly; the inlet must therefore be provided with a sealing arrangement. Secondly, return of the feeler, which generally occurs under the force of a return spring, must occur without friction or at least with as little friction as possible; the sealing arrangement must therefore be implemented so that the return of the feeler is not hindered by frictional forces.
In order to use the signals detected by the fiber-optic system, which describe the state in the space to be monitored, it is advantageous to convert these optical signals into electrical signals, for which an optical/electrical converter device may be provided. This converter device and possibly the devices connected thereto may be more sensitive to shock and vibration than the fiber-optic system, but this may be accepted in this case, because these devices may be positioned without problems outside those regions of the firearm in which the especially high shock and vibration stresses occur.
The signals sensed and transferred according to the description above, which are a function of the position of the feeler and/or of the indicator and therefore a function of the state to be detected in the space to be monitored, are generally a certain type of xe2x80x9cdigitalxe2x80x9d and/or qualitative signal; for example, such signals indicate whether a component of the firearm occupies a specific setting or not or whether a specific cartridge chamber is occupied by a cartridge or not. However, in certain cases it is advantageous to also detect the state in the space to be monitored quantitatively. In an advantageous refinement of the device according to the present invention, the fiber-optic system is laid out for the purpose of being able to also detect and transfer signals which contain more precise information, like quantitative signals.
For example, at least one further feeler and/or at least one further indicator may be provided, which work together with a further sensor region of the fiber-optic system. Such an arrangement may be used in various ways. Firstly, if the space to be monitored is a cartridge chamber, for example, it may be detected not only whether this cartridge chamber is occupied by cartridge or not, but the length and therefore the type of the cartridge located in the cartridge chamber may also be detected qualitatively. Secondly, the arrangement may also be used as a double safety.
The level of a pressure in a pressure vessel may also be detected quantitatively in that the position of a corresponding indicator is detected by one or more sensor regions.
More precise information about the state to be detected in the space to be monitored may also be obtained if the indicator has markings, for example barcodes, in various adjoining regions, of which one or another marking may be read by the fiber-optic system, depending on the position of the indicator.